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NPDES Permitting for Environmental ResultsThe Permitting for Environmental Results (PER) initiative is a multi-year effort by EPA and the states to improve the overall integrity and performance of the NPDES program. Since most states are authorized to implement the NPDES program, the PER initiative is based on a strong partnership between the states and EPA. EPA is working closely with the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) to develop and implement elements of the PER strategy and to coordinate between state NPDES programs and EPA. The PER Strategy (PDF) (12 pp, 2,365K) (8/15/2003) describes three major areas of emphasis that will be addressed over the coming years:
IntegrityIntegrity is the cornerstone of the PER effort and the first major area of focus in implementing the PER strategy. EPA and the states have been working through a detailed process to carefully assess each state NPDES program (or EPA regional office program for unauthorized states). This baseline assessment is designed to gauge the effectiveness of each program and to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. The results of this assessment process are captured in the NPDES profiles. NPDES ProfilesThe NPDES profiles provide a comprehensive description and assessment of the management of each NPDES program.
The profiles use the terms “Indian country” and “Indians lands” interchangeably. Indian country is defined by statute at 18 U.S.C. 1151 and includes all lands within Indian reservations, dependent Indian communities, and allotted lands. EPA is responsible for administering the NPDES permitting program in Indian country, unless and until an Indian tribe or a State has been expressly authorized by EPA to do so. This point is reflected in the profiles, which will be revised for consistency, as appropriate. The table below provides links to the NPDES profiles that are currently available. These profiles are a work in progress and EPA intends to update, correct and revise them in the future, as appropriate. As new profiles become available, they will be posted below. Please check back to view these profiles. The file sizes of the following PDF documents range from 310 KB to 700 KB and pages range from 17 pp to 52 pp. These files are in PDF format, so you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files. For more information, see EPA's PDF page.
Program EfficienciesState governments continue to face unprecedented budget problems. These fiscal constraints affect a wide variety of state programs, including NPDES permitting programs. Finding efficiencies in reviewing, writing, and reissuing permits has become an essential element in maintaining the health and integrity of these programs. The states and EPA have been working on a number of fronts to identify and share ideas that can save valuable staff time and effort. The profiles capture some of these innovations and they will be shared among the all the NPDES programs.Electronic Tools
Environmental ResultsEvery NPDES permit must be reissued every five years. This process allows each NPDES program to reassess the permit and
the impact of the discharge on the river, lake, or coastal water. As we move toward a watershed approach not only for NPDES permits, but for the Clean Water
Act programs as a whole, we will focus increased attention on those permits that can be reissued with new and strengthened limits that will lead to
significant improvements in impaired or threatened waters. EPA and the states are exploring ways to use environmental data and permit characteristics to
identify the most environmentally significant permits.
Improving Permit Data EPA is working with states to clean up and populate critical data in the Permit Compliance System (PCS). You can access information in PCS through EPA’s Envirofacts Warehouse. Permit Characterization EPA is developing tools to help characterize the environmental significance of specific permits by linking PCS data to environmental data. Permit Prioritization Each NPDES program is currently working to identify priority permits using a framework (PDF) (8 pp, 57K) developed by EPA. They are identifying priority permits for issuance and reissuance and developing schedules for completing these permits. |
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